Another shimmering pastel gem and the first of the Tucson 2018 treasures to be cut. The 1.21 carat morganite (a pink beryl) is 7.2 mm. in diameter.
The rough material for this one was purchased from John E’ Garsow and came from Nigeria. It had a lot more color than some of the other morganite I saw elsewhere.
This little aquamarine weighs in at 0.97 carats and is 6.4 mm across. The rough material for this one came from Brazil. It is a shimmering light blue that was not adequately captured by the photo
Photo here is of a newly cut peridot (August birthstone). It is 8 mm in diameter and weighs 2.84 carats. According to the notes on label that accompanied the rough, the material came from Arizona.
Finally I am cutting something other than quartz!
Pictured here is a very nice little aquamarine weighing in at 2.23 cts and measuring 8.6 x 6.9 mm. It was really nice to cut something a little smaller and more cooperative than some of the larger stones I was doing while I was getting over my broken wrist and figuring out some new laps. The rough for this stone was obtained at the Spring 2016 West Coast Gem and Mineral Show from New Era Gems (Steve Ulatowski).
It seems to be an annual event — a road runner shows up and hangs around for a few days.
